Jessica Stölen
Editor
jstolen-jacobson@cherryroad.com

Growing up, Annika Swenson bore witness to her brothers Leukemia treatments, attending his occupational therapy appointments, and finding a desire to be an occupational therapist to help others. When she graduated high school, her father received a devastating diagnosis of West Nile Virus, and then complications with Guillain–Barré syndrome and encephalitis.

“Those hurdles had left him in ICU for nearly a month as well as several other places for rehabilitation and recovery,” Swenson says. Because of this, she was left with a choice of whether to start college to pursue her dream of becoming an occupational therapist, or whether to stay in her parents home to help. “I knew no matter what the outcome that my dad wanted me to pursue my dream, so I decided to pursue college,” she says.

While juggling her studies in college and visits home on the weekend, her father and brother both faced complications that caused them to be in wheelchairs. “Growing up on a ranch in rural North Dakota, I really appreciated and understood how crucial nature was to living. The resilience that my entire family had developed navigating challenges were a true testament to the concept of Sisu, and is how Discover Your Sisu Therapy Services, LLC was established,” Swenson says.

In January of 2024, Swenson officially launched the service and most recently has begun offering day camps called “Discover Your Sisu Outdoors”, a nature art and community support time for a variety of child age ranges.

Having been an occupational therapist for six years, and becoming a parent herself during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swenson says she was much more aware of the challenges of families with isolation and limited access to resources. “With my experience in rural health and growing up on a ranch, I knew that I wanted to get families together in the community,” she says.

While the outdoors gatherings just began in June, Swenson is in the process of adjusting the ideas behind the events to best suit local families. “The first group that we did we had some cooked noodles and kids thought of them as worms, with different nature-based materials as well as water play. The most recent group went on a nature walk and picked leaves and did nature spray art with it. I’m really just trying to get the families together, get the kids outside, with limited technology,” she says. “I’m working on coming up with new and different ideas that involve sensory processing and promotes mental health as well as overall togetherness with families and their kids.”

Swenson enjoys seeing the community members come together, and enjoy time as family in nature. “I hope that families can really just become involved in the moment, interaction with their kiddos and family members and be able to connect with others in the community,” she says.

Pre-registration for events is a requirement, and events are posted on Swenson’s business page on Facebook -Discover Your Sisu Therapy Services. For more information, contact Swenson either through the social media page, or by email at contact@discoveryoursisu.com.